Day 8 - We would walk 500 miles

In homage to the Proclaimers we decided to see if we could walk 500 miles around New York, and I think we succeeded.  The plan for today was to complete three more of the self-directed walking tours that Jan had lent us.  We started by taking the metro to Greenwich Village and completed a walk around there.  It was a great experience and a totally different area to the places we had been - no skyscrapers, lots of 'artsy' little places and quite a lot of gay culture (it was the birthplace of the gay rights movement).  It reminded me of the area around Oxford Street and Paddington in Sydney.  A few snaps are below.

75 1/2 Bedford Street, NYC's skinniest house

Public sculpture in Christopher Park

We found a good coffee shop during the walk, courtesy of the self-directed guide card.  Rhonda had difficulty getting good coffee in New York, but this coffee shop was up to her high expectations.  The lady in the photo agreed to Rhonda taking the photo - we thought it was best to ask.

After Greenwich Village it was time to visit the 'Tenement Museum'.  A fabulous place to visit and one we would never have found without Jan's guidance. 

The Museum features an original tenement building (just down the street on the left from the visitor centre you can see here) that had been abandoned for about 50 years before being 'rediscovered' in the 1980s.  The museum features apartments (only about 30 square metres in size) that have been reconstructed to look exactly how they were when occupied.  The guides tell you stories about what life was like for the migrants who lived there, based on research of the actual families (it's a bit like an episode of "Who do you think you are?").  A brilliant set up and we could have spent much longer there.  Some of the tours allow you to interact with actors playing characters from the periods of occupancy.  All tours need to be booked online.

Our next stop was across the East River for a walk around Brooklyn Heights, an old and quite affluent suburb.  A total contrast to Greenwich Village, but fascinating in its own right.

Rhonda having a chat with a professional dog walker in Brooklyn Heights - we saw quite a few dog walkers in New York

The last walk we did was across the Brooklyn Bridge, and iconic sight and a wonderful example of engineering.  The walk is very popular, and you get great views of the Manhattan skyline while walking across the bridge.  The only problem is that there are support wires everywhere, so the view is somewhat constrained (although interesting in its own right.  A couple of happy snaps below.

Our day finished with dinner with Jan, at an Asian fusion restaurant near her apartment.  A delicious end to our time in New York.  As an added bonus we had coffee after dinner at the coffee shop featured in the movie You've Got Mail (starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks).  Lovely.

Two final signs from New York - the first spotted in a church we were walking past, and the second at a building site. 

Tomorrow we're off to Washington DC by train.  Or, as Rhonda likes to think of it, Washing Town (since we need to do some washing).  Deeply saddened by the news of the Malaysian Airlines plane - tragedy can strike at any time, so enjoy your life while you can.  'Bye for now.